The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development has joined with the state Department of Technology, the USC Center for Body Computing and the Cybersecurity Task Force to create a Health IT Advisory Board.
State CIO Amy Tong, Darin Andersen from the Cybersecurity Task Force and several representatives from California universities have joined the board, which includes members of the private and public sectors as well as cybersecurity experts.
"Cybersecurity is a critical core component of all of these growth industries, and we are partnering with education and industry experts to ensure data is secure and protected," said Panorea Avdis, director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), in a press release.
The board will hold a meeting in the fall and again in the spring to devise ways to increase cybersecurity across health IT. The information found by the board will not change how the state procures health IT, according to GO-Biz spokesman Sid Voorakkara. It could, however, influence cybersecurity through identification and communication of risks versus benefits.
Voorakkara also said the board does not have its own budget.
Dr. Leslie Saxon of the USC Center for Body Computing will head the board.
The board will "give patients and users more confidence in safety and security of digital health devices," Saxon wrote in an email interview with Techwire.
The board's white paper will be ready in 2018 and will include recommendations for "anything connected that can be hacked, regulated or non-regulated," Saxon wrote.
